1. Information We Collect
HonestyReviewed gathers information in two primary ways: information you directly provide to us, and technical telemetry automatically generated when you interact with our website.
A. Information You Directly Provide
- Contact Inquiries: When you contact us via our Contact Us form, we collect your full name, email address, inquiry subject, and message body.
- Factual Error Reports: When you report a factual discrepancy or price error, we collect the article URL, error category, suggested correction, supporting source URL, and your optional contact details.
- Newsletter Subscriptions: When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address and optional content category preferences (such as reviews, deals, or buying guides).
B. Automatically Generated Technical Data
- Server Log Telemetry: Standard HTTP server requests record your IP address, browser user-agent, operating system, requested URL, referring page, and access timestamp to route network traffic and defend server infrastructure.
- Anti-Abuse Rate Limiting: To prevent spam bots and denial-of-service form flooding, an anonymized cryptographic hash of your IP address is temporarily stored in a WordPress transient for up to one hour.
- Theme Preferences (Local Storage): If you toggle dark mode, your preference is saved locally in your browser storage (hr_theme). This data never leaves your device and is not tracked across third-party websites.
2. How We Use Information (Data Flow Inventory)
Every category of information collected by HonestyReviewed is tied to a specific, transparent operational purpose:
| Data Category | Operational Purpose | Storage / Processor | Retention Period | User Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Submissions | Respond to reader inquiries & editorial questions. | Direct wp_mail email dispatch to editorial inbox. | Retained until inquiry resolution or deletion request. | Request deletion via contact form. |
| Factual Error Reports | Investigate and correct factual inaccuracies. | Editorial desk email archive. | Preserved during editorial investigation lifecycle. | Corrections Policy route. |
| Newsletter Email | Send requested product evaluations & buying guides. | Brevo ESP API (Double Opt-In confirmed list). | Until subscriber unsubscribes or requests removal. | 1-click unsubscribe in every email. |
| Server Log Data | Web page routing & cyber defense monitoring. | Hostinger secure web server log files. | Standard rolling log rotation (typically 30–90 days). | Browser VPN / Private Window. |
| Analytics Telemetry (GA4) | Measure aggregate readership trends & article popularity. | Google Tag Manager / GA4 (Operates under Google Consent Mode v2: cookieless pings when denied; cookies when granted). | GA4 standard 2–14 month data retention. | Cookie Preferences panel / Google Analytics Opt-out. |
| Session Replay & Heatmaps | Evaluate user experience, scroll depth, and interaction heatmaps to improve page layout. | Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft Corp / Microsoft Ireland Operations). Masked interaction telemetry. | Session recordings retained up to 30 days; aggregate metrics up to 1 year. | Cookie Preferences panel (Analytics & Performance category; blocked without consent). |
| First-Party Attribution | Attribute incoming referral channels and marketing campaigns. | First-party cookie (hr_attr_ctx) and LocalStorage (hr_campaign_attribution). | 30 days rolling lifetime. | Cookie Preferences panel (Advertising & Marketing category). |
| Display Advertising | Deliver display advertisements (CURRENTLY DORMANT / DISABLED site-wide). | Google AdSense (__gads, __gpi) — Dormant; master switch is OFF. | No advertising cookies placed while feature is disabled. | Cookie Preferences panel / Google Ad Settings. |
| Affiliate Link Clicks | Attribute merchant purchases when clicking outbound review links. | Third-party destination merchants (e.g., Amazon Associates). Placed on merchant domain. | Determined by individual merchant policies (typically 24h–30d). | Merchant site cookie controls / Private browsing. |
| Privacy Choice Storage | Remember user cookie preferences and consent choices. | First-party cookie (hr_consent) and LocalStorage (hr_consent_state). | 365 days (1 year). | Permanent "Cookie Preferences" link in footer. |
3. Contact Forms & Factual Error Reporting
When you submit a message through our Contact Us page, your submission is validated against anti-spam honeypots and CSRF security nonces before being transmitted via secure transactional email to our editorial team. Submissions are not exposed publicly in databases or shared with third parties. For factual error reports, submissions are handled under our Corrections Policy.
6. Analytics, Session Replay & Advertising Technology
A. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) & Consent Mode v2: Our web analytics are orchestrated via Google Tag Manager and GA4 with zero-PII data redaction (container GTM-TGQS6FN8, measurement target G-9ZS61K4Y51). We operate Google Consent Mode v2. When analytics consent has not been granted, GA4 operates exclusively in a restricted cookieless state without reading or setting persistent cookies on your device. Once analytics consent is granted, persistent session cookies (_ga) are enabled to measure engagement trends and content popularity.
B. Microsoft Clarity (Session Replay & Heatmaps): To evaluate user experience, scroll engagement, and interaction heatmaps, we utilize Microsoft Clarity (provided by Microsoft Corporation and Microsoft Ireland Operations). Clarity records masked user interactions (such as mouse movements, scrolling, and clicks) to help us diagnose layout issues. Clarity automatically masks text and sensitive form fields. Microsoft Clarity is strictly gated behind your explicit Analytics & Performance consent; it will not record sessions or place persistent cookies (_clck, _clsk, CLID, MUID) unless affirmative consent is granted. For details on Microsoft’s data handling, consult the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
C. Display Advertising (Currently Inactive): Display advertising via Google AdSense is currently DORMANT / DISABLED site-wide (our master advertising switch is set to OFF). No advertisements are being served, and no advertising cookies (__gads, __gpi) are placed on your device. Should display advertising be activated in the future, it will be strictly gated behind Advertising & Marketing consent controls. You can also manage external Google advertising preferences directly by visiting Google Ad Settings (https://adssettings.google.com).
7. Affiliate Tracking & Referral Links
HonestyReviewed participates in merchant affiliate programs (including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program). When you click an outbound merchant link, tracking parameters are appended to attribute qualifying purchases. Commercial relationships never influence our editorial ratings or benchmark results. Read our full Affiliate Disclosure.
8. Lead Generation Policy
HonestyReviewed does not operate third-party lead brokerage forms or sell user contact information to sales networks across our editorial review pages. Any future contextual inquiry services will feature explicit, transparent disclosures prior to form submission.
9. Data Security & Retention Safeguards
We employ technical and administrative safeguards to protect your information:
- HTTPS Encryption: All communications between your browser and our servers are encrypted using modern Transport Layer Security (TLS/SSL).
- Form & Endpoint Security: Submissions are verified with cryptographic nonces, honeypots, input length constraints, and strict email format validation.
- Storage Minimization: We do not retain unnecessary databases of user browsing histories. Transient rate-limiting logs are purged automatically within 1 hour.
10. Your Choices, Rights & Privacy Inquiries
You maintain control over your personal information and tracking choices. Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal data you have directly submitted to us. You can also review or withdraw your non-essential cookie choices at any time via the "Cookie Preferences" link in our website footer.
To submit a privacy inquiry, data deletion request, or question regarding our data practices, please reach out through our Contact Form and select "Privacy Questions".